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I'm engaging God by embracing joyfully the trials and tribulations I experience for being a child of God in an imperfect world.
That is what the majority of this blog is about.
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Friday, September 9, 2011

I’m still enjoying it here in Gainesville. I like the fact that I see all of the same faces in all of my classes. It makes getting to know your classmates a lot easier. I’ve also started to hang out with a few outside of class for lunch and night outings which is fun. Even though the reading is still a lot to handle at times the classes are starting to overlap making it seem almost easier that undergrad. I hope it stays this way. So all in all, things are going smoothly.

Switching gears, yesterday I was thinking about the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” and I just couldn’t see that statement as being true. Well unless if you’re standing in our dog pen back home where the dogs have successfully dug out all of the grass in their vicinity leaving only mud to roll around in. But besides that I couldn’t really think of anything. However, if you don’t take the saying so literally and really think about it, the grass is never greener on the other side. Never. Temptation is always leaving us wanting more and sometimes it makes us greedy or envy what others have. This isn’t good and honestly makes me feel really crappy when it’s happening to me.

For those of you who know me well, you know I drive this lovely or not so lovely anymore, 2002 red Chevrolet cavalier, also known as the Tinkerbell or bumper car (I often park using the tap method) oops haha. Well anyways I received this car in 2004 as an early graduation gift. I was told if I graduated in the top 5 of my class I could keep the car with no car payments however if my grades were to slip I’d have to pick up the payments after graduation. Thankfully I graduated in the top of my class and had no payments. It was nice having a car I didn’t have to pay for..it was like my nice little green pasture. However, in 2008 my parents helped my sister get a new car. A nice car...one with automatic locks and power windows. Let’s just say I was a little more than jealous. I was no longer happy with my car that worked fine but was starting show its age. I had a perfectly fine car but was left want more..wanting a new car, one like hers. You see I was starting to look at my green pasture as the inside of the dog pen..I felt like if I got a new car I’d be in a greener pasture. But here is the thing, when my sister received her nice little car she also received a nice little, or not so little, car payment to go along with it. I don’t know what you think about that but to me it’d fry my grass.

Looking back, I’m so glad that I didn’t go out and get a new car like hers. I’m more than grateful not to have a car payment right now when I can hardly afford my groceries. Graduate school not only keeps me from working full time but it comes with a nice tuition bill as well. God provides us with not what we want but what we need. My car may not be as pretty or run as smoothly as it once did but it hasn’t ever broken down which is a blessing. (I hope I’m not jinxing myself in sharing this). When I finish school I’m sure I’ll get a new car but for now what I got is what I need.

Wanting more and wanting what other’s have can be difficult temptations to fight but if you don’t you’re ultimately relying on possessions to make you happier and this is like eating salt when you’re dying of thirst. It just doesn’t make sense. You’re never going to be satisfied. Wanting one nice thing leads to wanting 2,then 3, and so on... And besides none of this matters in the long run. “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” 1 timothy 6:7. Instead of wanting more, be grateful for what you do have. God is faithful and He provides.

The grass is green enough for me right here :) Thankful to be a student with no car payment!!